Today this question is on my mind, regarding the often used negation in Epicurean philosophy (which came up when thinking about the phrase; "absence of pain") ...and of which there are many many concepts presented as a negation.
And I did this search online:
How do we cognate concepts framed in the negative, and can we rephrase concepts in the positive and still keep a correct representation. 
Today it just occured to me that an in-person group could be started with this: "Introduction to Epicureanism: Through the Eyes of Lucretius" - and that the poetry of Lucretius may be a good way for people to "dip their toes" into Epicurean philosophy. So the next task would be to develop a week-by-week topic, with a short presentation and then follow that with discussion, based on Lucretius' De Rerum Natura. (I am also currently looking into library meeting rooms as a location for starting a group).
We have this sub-forum on Lucretius (which could be expanded with additional topics):
I was searching for where in Lucretius he talks about impermanence (Google AI says in Book 3) and happened on this introductory level article regarding "death is nothing to us", which contains excerpts from Luctretius:
(For the text references, I don't see what translation he is using, and so perhaps he has created a kind of paraphrasing of the text).
Very nice sanantoniogarden
This part brings up some questions:
one should moderate expectations and measure out a path to maximize pleasure, neither too much, nor too little.
"moderate expectations" - this sounds like telling yourself not to expect too much which would be a different sentiment compared to something like "live within your means".
"neither too much, nor too little" - this sounds like a rule that is based on an idea of finding the middle, however there are times in which one might choose something that appears to other people to be "too little" or "too much" and this would occassionally be chosen because it brings good results in a particular situation (based on pleasure vs. pain in a particular situation). Also, sometimes in low-risk situations we might do something which appears to be "too little" or "too-much" just to experience what sensations come with those choices (sort of a testing out the waters) and as a learning experience, which helps us understand our individual sensations and what brings pleasure both in the short term and in the long term.
Welcome to the forum Rolf 
You may enjoy listening to the Lucretius Today podcast interview of Emily Austin (if you haven't already done so)...
Here is another slant on: "I spit upon the beautiful if it does not bring pleasure"... Article: "Suffering for Beauty Has Ancient Roots":
Men and women in ancient Greece took things a step further by slathering lead not just around their eyes, but all over their face. Their white lead face cream, according to a 2001 article in the journal Clinics in Dermatology, was designed to “clear complexions of blemishes and to improve the color and texture of the skin” and was such a big hit that lead-based face masks soon became all the rage.
‘Dead white’
Despite lead's health hazards, ranging from skin ruptures to madness to infertility, upper-crust Romans went on to use white lead (or cerussa, the key ingredient in those once-popular lead paints) to lighten their faces, then topped that off with a bit of red lead (or minium, currently used in the manufacture of batteries and rust-proof paint) for that “healthy” rose glow. Lead was also a major ingredient in the hair dyes of the day, either intentionally or otherwise. According to scholars, the place was lousy with lead and some have conjectured that lead-lined viaducts, cooking pots and wine vessels — and the resultant poisoning — helped bring about the fall of the empire.
Thank you to everyone who attended last night's Zoom. I found it to be a very interesting discussion last night, and still thinking about some aspects of it (especially the discussion between AxA and @TauPhi ).
Without a god which gave moral mandates as absolutes, then we see that moral precepts are a product of humans living together with other humans and desiring to find safety, trust, and peace, rather than creating fear, distrust, anger and perpetual violence. So we as groups of humans living in community can then come up with a set of actions which result in better living conditions, and from these we create laws of justice, and then these laws must also be backed up by an honest judicial system to justly punish those who break the laws. (The punish aspect is also a protective aspect).
For any further discussion on the specific Delphic maxims, there is an earlier thread that we can use:
Three more videos for learning Greek dance:
This one would be fun to do on a Twentieth:
...and this one has a turn added in!
And for the dancers who want learn the Zorba dance:
This is also relevant for tomorrow evening's Zoom discussion, on the Delphic Maxims:
Later tradition ascribed to each sage a pithy saying of his own, but ancient as well as modern scholars have doubted the legitimacy of such ascriptions.[12] A compilation of 147 maxims, inscribed at Delphi, was preserved by the fifth century CE scholar Stobaeus as "Sayings of the Seven Sages",[13] but "the actual authorship of the ... maxims set up on the Delphian temple may be left uncertain. Most likely they were popular proverbs, which tended later to be attributed to particular sages."[14]
And fragment 182 -- Epicurus asks to be sent cheese.
just eating bread, olives and water after a long walk for “hunger sauce” lol).”
Regarding "just eating bread,..." --- VS. 63 - Frugality too has a limit, and the man who disregards it is like him who errs through excess.
AxA That's great that you had another meeting with such a good turn out!
We ended with: “The optional “homework” is to think of ways of bringing this philosophy to life other than talking. Conversation will always of course have an important place in philosophy, but I’m interested in all the other ways to turn these ideas into real life effects. The suggestions so far have been boxing, interpretive dance, and eating (either feasting on cheese or just eating bread, olives and water after a long walk for “hunger sauce” lol).”
Some thoughts and suggestions...
The philosophy of Epicurus has many conceptual sub-categories dealing with specific aspects:
--knowledge and study of natural physics
--the knowledge of how we can know if something is true
--overcoming the fear of death through understanding the true nature of human beings
--the true nature of pleasure and pain
--prudence and wise choices
--pursuing pleasure and ethical living which leads to well-being (eudiamonia)
You could create specific homework assignments that deal with these and other specific aspects and concepts of Epicurean Philosophy which would require study and contemplation.
Coming up this next Monday on April 7th - First Monday Epicurean Philosophy Zoom Discussion!
This month's topic: "The Delphic Maxims Through the Lens of Epicurean Philosophy"
Here are some reference websites if you are interested in reading about it before the meeting:
Temple of Apollo at Delphi – Ancient Greece: Φώς & Λέξη
Agenda:
- Welcome and round-the-table greetings
- Short presentation on the Delphic Maxims (by Kalosyni)
- Discussion: "The Delphic Maxims Through the Lens of Epicurean Philosophy"
Note on how to attend: If you have not previously attended a First Monday, or have been absent from the forum for a while, let us know if you are interested so we can add you to the meeting link private message which will go out the day before the meeting.
Hope to see you there!
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Edit note: Here is another website with slightly different translations of the maxims.
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Additional edit note: This may be of interest - commentary.
I have been wondering lately about text fragments, and especially Philodemus material, and that it is important to stress the fragmentary nature of that material.
I happened to find this question on r/Classics "Are fragmented Greek texts worth your time?" and found this to be a fun and important hint about how to deal with the fragments 
But the question is this: How much of interpretation of fragmentary texts is dependent on the translator's imagination, such that we cannot trust certain parts of Philodemus due to so many missing words and sentences. We need to draw a line when it comes to those parts which are potentially misleading due to the "creativity" of the translator.
In this video, you can see the kalamatianos for a brief segment starting at 2:40 ...(word of caution that the music is a bit somber).
I have some evidence that complicates things, and points to a possiblity that Philodemus held different views than Epicurus did.
I found this on Wikipedia, which seems to indicate that Epicurus held similar views on the Gods to Theodorus.
Theodorus was attacked for atheism. "He did away with all opinions respecting the Gods," says Laërtius,[17] but some critics doubt whether he was absolutely an atheist, or simply denied the existence of the deities of popular belief. The charge of atheism is sustained by the popular designation of Atheus, by the authority of Cicero,[18] Laërtius,[2] Pseudo-Plutarch,[19] Sextus Empiricus,[20] and some Christian writers; while some others (e.g. Clement of Alexandria)[21] speak of him as only rejecting the popular theology.
Theodorus wrote a book called On the Gods (Περὶ Θεῶν). Laërtius had seen it, and said that it was not to be dismissed,[17] adding that it was said to have been the source of many of the statements or arguments of Epicurus.
rituals (civic festivals such as the City Dionysia and Anthesteria as well as personal cults to deceased family members and close friends)
And also this too, would love to have the texts that refer to this.
practices like prayer (heavily encouraged by Epicurus and Philodemos
@Eikadistes If you happen to have the specific text that refers to prayer practices, for both Epicurus and for Philodemus, can you post here? ...would love to read those
We do not have evidence of any of the above in ancient Epicureans...
Except now thinking, the only evidence that I can think of is the opening of De Rerum Natura which has an invocation to Venus, in which one could consider that ancient Epicureans during the Roman times participated in a kind of prayer, to an existing religion of the ancient time - and a worship of Venus. I found this:
But the most important cause of the identification was the reception into Rome of the famous cult of Venus Erycina—i.e., of Aphrodite of Eryx (Erice) in Sicily—this cult itself resulting from the identification of an Oriental mother-goddess with the Greek deity. This reception took place during and shortly after the Second Punic War. A temple was dedicated to Venus Erycina on the Capitol in 215 bce and a second outside the Colline gate in 181 bce. The latter developed in a way reminiscent of the temple at Eryx with its harlots, becoming the place of worship of Roman courtesans, hence the title of dies meretricum (“prostitutes’ day”) attached to April 23, the day of its foundation.
The importance of the worship of Venus-Aphrodite was increased by the political ambitions of the gens Iulia, the clan of Julius Caesar and, by adoption, of Augustus. They claimed descent from Iulus, the son of Aeneas; Aeneas was the alleged founder of the temple of Eryx and, in some legends, of the city of Rome also. From the time of Homer onward, he was made the son of Aphrodite, so that his descent gave the Iulii divine origin. Others than the Iulii sought to connect themselves with a deity grown so popular and important, notably Gnaeus Pompeius, the triumvir. He dedicated a temple to Venus as Victrix (“Bringer of Victory”) in 55 bce. Julius Caesar’s own temple (46 bce), however, was dedicated to Venus Genetrix, and as Genetrix (“Begetting Mother”) she was best known until the death of Nero in 68 ce. Despite the extinction of the Julio-Claudian line, she remained popular, even with the emperors; Hadrian completed a temple of Venus at Rome in 135 ce.
